Some People Think That Schools Are Merely Turning Children Into Good Citizens And Workers, Rather Than Benefitting Them As Individuals | Agree Or Disagree IELTS Essay Sample

The following essay question was asked on an IELTS test held in Vietnam, Australia and Malaysia recently. You can spend 40 minutes on this task. You must write at least 250 words.

Some people think that schools are merely turning children into good citizens and workers, rather than benefitting them as individuals. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS essay sample

It is true that the modern education system places too much emphasis on improving the job-worthiness of children and that is hardly surprising. Jobs are important. If they weren’t, job-oriented courses wouldn’t have been so popular among students. As you can probably see, professional courses like medicine, engineering and MBA attract more students than courses like arts or pure science. That means students want schools and colleges to turn them into employable adults.

While it is true that there is an emphasis on making children good citizens and workers, it is wrong to assume that schools don’t benefit children as individuals. In fact, children learn a lot of life-skills from school. Schools teach children how to interact with one another. It teaches them to respect authority; it nourishes their leadership skills and teaches them how to work as part of a team. Schools also teach children the need to be disciplined. All of these skills are essential to grow into good adults.

I even think that children who receive formal schooling have an advantage over those who are home schooled. That is because the school is a microcosm of the world outside. It teaches kids all the skills necessary to survive in the world outside. What’s more, the advancements in modern technology now allow schools to offer individualized curriculums. Many schools now give students the freedom to choose the courses they want to study. It allows them to demonstrate their skills. Modern technology, which most schools have embraced in a big way, also gives children more opportunity to interact with their teachers and peers.

In conclusion, as schooling tends to become more and more tailored to suit the individual needs of young people, it is hard to see how the argument that schools don’t benefit children individually holds water.